FITNESS FABLES: Kettlebell training craze hits SA’s domestic fitness scene
THE centuries-old piece of cast iron can be intimidating to look at, let alone to lift on your own. It is a kettlebell, basically "a canon ball with a handle". Kettle-bell training is growing in popularity around the globe including in the domestic scene.Its history is shrouded in the mists and myths of time. Some specialists say it originated in Russia and that the first documented use of a kettlebell was in 1704. Others believe kettlebells date back much earlier — to Spartan times, when handles were placed into cinderblocks to help move them around.The name is a bit of a mystery. It is supposed to look a little like a kettle without a lid, but a bell? Not at all.Whatever its origins, kettlebell training has entered the lexicon of modern fitness training. It has become a sport in its own right, known as Girevoy Sport. Girya is the Russian word for a kettlebell; Girevoy Sport translates roughly to "Strong Sport", says Johannesburg kettlebell instructor Trent Murgatroyd.He is expansi...
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